Love at the Final Hour
by SoSaysL
Summary: -What troubles him is that his heart has, without his permission, already become hers.- An alternate ending to Princess Tutu
1. Towards the Darkness

**Towards the Darkness**

Truly a prince of the ravens, he thinks. The raven princess, wanting him to be hers forever, has tainted his heart. He does not despise her for it, or even care. He tells her of his supposed love, seeing her grateful sigh and the softening of her red eyes. She does not notice how his flickering mauve eyes speak of contempt when he looks at her. They do not _belong_ together.

A thousand complaints fly in his mind. She matches him too closely—the darkness in her heart mirrors his own—he sees the void in himself in her heart—for while he stares into the abyss, he knows the darkness curls, like tendrils of ravenous black flame, around his heart as well—

It is only natural, he supposes, that the creature he has become is drawn towards the light. The lost, innocent souls flock to him, and he has come so, so close to devouring one of their hearts. Like a dazzling whiteness, _she_ leaps to the rescue, at once gentle and blindingly radiant.

He knows she is pure, uncorrupted, and that is precisely why she is so effective in hindering his ability to draw the hearts of those innocent souls. She does not feel the temptation that he does, cannot sense the tantalizing lure of the black void.

_Wasn't I like that once_? He wonders, as his defenses crumble before her. _Was I that virtuous, that whole?_

While she draws the innocent girl to safety, he cannot fix his resolve. He is weakened already, and his thoughts instead wander to her heart. Somehow, he knows that her heart already belongs to him—that she _is_ his, for the light cannot shine without the darkness.

What troubles him is that _his_ heart has, without his permission, become _hers_.


	2. Lost to the Abyss

**Lost to the Abyss**

She can see that the knight is not pleased.

He warns her briefly that this may be a trap, for he knows too well that the perfect tragic finale would be for her heart to be devoured by her own beloved. The knight sighs, leans against his sword. He is a man terse in expression, but right now he yearns to speak for as long as he can, however long it takes for her to realize that she is dancing to her doom.

* * *

The prince can feel the tingling in his blood, and knows he will transform into a black, winged menace soon. The raven princess cannot help him now—she is the one that dragged him down, deep within this bottomless chasm. His soul leaps with nameless emotions, and he catches himself wishing desperately that he could be free of the darkness.

The lovely ballerina princess infuriates him. How can she be so beautiful, so pure, while he has become such a monster?

He knows he should not steal her heart. She is his last hope, the only speck of light that can save him now.

Yet, he cannot stop himself. Even though he is evil, he is undeniably attractive, irresistible even. He thinks of the secret love she has harbored for him, and his pulse quickens. The urgings of evil deepen—to corrupt a lovely creature like her—and his resolve solidifies.

He attempts to steal the heart of another, for he knows he can seduce any girl besides _her_. As he had assumed she would, she appears before him. She rescues the girl—as he allows her to do—and before she can escape, he has confronted her. Her beauty makes his breath catch. Uncertainly, she curtsies.

No time for that. With a single, swift movement, he seizes her chin so she is forced to look at him directly. Like knowing mirrors, her wide blue eyes stare into his.

"Do you love me?" He demands, knowing that the evil raven is watching them from the sky.

Her lips part, but she is unable to speak. Her slim shoulders shake, as if from a tremor, and her melancholy eyes tell him that she cannot reply.

He feels a dizzying pain shoot throughout his body, and with horror he realizes that he has become _a raven_. Black feather sprout from his arms, a sharp, long beak elongating from his face. She is unable to hold back a sharp intake of breath, and her expression becomes horrified. He ignores the pain resonating in his heart. His hold on her simply tightens, and he repeats his insistent plea.

"_Do you love me_?"


	3. Sacrifice

**Sacrifice**

The knight has arrived now, and is brandishing his sword wildly as he cries out to the princess. His words fall harshly, like hailstones—_don't listen to him—he's trying to steal your heart—please, don't!_—and his voice carries a certain desperation...

_He loves her,_ the raven prince realizes, and with a dreadful certainty he comprehends the bleak future. This lovely princess would never love him—surely she loved the knight as well—wasn't it so?—two pure souls belonged together, and the darkness could be left to itself—and that meant, he was already lost to the abyss—

His clutch on her weakens as tears cloud his vision. He is lost, already. He cannot love, or be loved. She is too bright, too beautiful, to ever be his.

Suddenly, she breaks free from him, and he turns away noiselessly to weep.

Her arms wrap him in a tender yet despairing embrace. Her soft, glossy crimson hair presses against his cheek, and he is too surprised to move or speak.

"Yes." Her angelic voice whispers, light like a mellifluous harp. "I love you."

An extraordinarily bright flash of white light envelops him completely, and his soul uplifts at her words. _I love you_. He does not need to be handsome to be loved, for she loves him nevertheless. He has been redeemed, she has rescued him from the darkness, and now…

He comes to his senses once more, and discovers that he is _human, _clothed in regal splendor once more. She has cleansed him of evil. He immediately kneels, humble in his gratitude. "Princess, you saved me. I thought I could not be loved, and you loved me in spite of the darkness within my heart."

He looks up, ready to take her by the hand and tell her of his love, and sees no trace of her. Worriedly, he scans his surroundings. "Princess?"

All he finds is a visibly distraught knight. The knight blinks back tears. "I should have warned her." He mutters. "I did! Too selfless not to sacrifice herself for a happy ending..."

"Where is she?" The words of the prince are hurried.

The knight simply shakes his head, and the awful truth hits the prince as a physical pain in his chest.

"She loved me…" The prince choked. "And she vanished in a speck of light…"

He rises to his full height, clothed in immense power. "I will avenge my princess. This story must end. RAVEN! PREPARE TO MEET YOUR DOOM." His voice echoes powerfully to the evil demon looming above them with a knowing, red smile.

"For Princess Tutu." Mytho murmurs. "Princess Tutu, I will always love you."

**Fin**


End file.
